Meet Maggie

So, we just couldn't take it any more...we had to meet this little girl! So, on Wednesday, June 1st at 7am we checked into Seton Medical Center...it would only be a matter of hours!

Checking in...

(This is one of the only pics of me preggers this time. Are you sure there's only one baby in there?)

 

And just a few hours later...meet Maggie!

Margaret Laura Mezger was born at 3:22pm.

8 lbs 8 oz, 19 inches long (Can you imagine if she had kept cooking an extra week?)

 

Many thanks to our team - our fantastic OB Dr. Yium, our awesome L&D nurses Beverly (who was our nurse with Rebecca!) and Lauren, and - my personal favorite - our anesthesiologist Dr. Gunn.

She'll hate this picture someday, but here she is. Wasn't quite sure she liked the real world at first! Perhaps it was the "big mean lights".

 Wow, we did it! And now we're a family of five. Oh my.

 Coach Bee was there the whole time - just like with Owen and Rebecca. While we waited she worked on Rebecca's Christmas stalking. She's got about 2.5 years to finish Maggie's and we'll be right on track!

 Dahdo arrived shortly after.

He brought Maggie her first birthday cake - vegan carrot cake. Every kid's favorite.

 We got settled in our mother/baby room and waited on Nana to bring Owen and Rebecca for "the big reveal". Remembering what introducing Rebecca to Owen had been like - not quite as smooth as we had hoped - we crossed our fingers that this time around would be better. (Owen had just woken up when we left for the hospital and he was SOOOO excited that today was the day we were going to the hospital to get BABY SISTER - so we were optimistic.)

And they did great. No tears. Lots of ooing and ahhing. And Owen immediately asked if he could hold her. What a great big brother.

 Look at those tiny toes!

 Kisses kisses.

 She's awesome!

 Rebecca "dee dee, dee dee"! We had been practicing "gentle" and she did really well. She liked pointing things out like her hat and nose.

 Nana patiently waited for her turn. (She had the hardest job of the day - keeping Owen & Rebecca!)

So, who does she look like? We think she's a decent mix of O & R as newborns. She's round round round (all cheeks!) like Owen was, but her profile is a little more like Rebecca. Only time will tell. Oh, and you can't see this from the pics but her eyes are that deep inky blue like a lot of babies have and she has a small amount of light brown hair.

 Uncle Alex dropped by after work. I'm pretty sure he thinks we're crazy. Smart guy.

Day 1 visitors were rounded out by Christal and Katie - for the nitty gritty girl talk which didn't merit any photos. 

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Is that a dimple in her chin???

 LOVE those long baby fingers (and toes)!

 Kyle's pad. He was wearing like 8 layers of clothes plus the sleeping bag. Unlike our house which refuses to get as cool as I would like - I had the ability to crank the AC down in our room as low as I wanted and it actually got there! I was finally comfortable (for the first time in months) and everyone else was freezing. Seriously - the nurses would come in once, and then anytime they came back they'd be wearing a fleece.

 Day 2 visitors. Christal holding the wee one.

 Nathan holding her - after first saying he didn't want to because she'd be "too heavy".

 Later that afternoon (after a good long nap) we got to introduce Maggie to the rest of the Mezger clan.

Cousin Bailey holding another female cousin to teach and mold.

 Aunt Mel (who is expecting on Thanksgiving - woohoo!)

 Gotta love the girls.

 We learned early on that Maggie is NOT a fan of being unswaddled which makes diaper changes especially rousing.

 Nana just couldn't take it anymore - HAND ME THAT BABY!!!

 Look familiar? The "feed me" face.

 Speaking of feed me... Kyle brought me a chocolate shake after celebrating with the boys (Luke, Joel, Phil) and his free beer at Waterloo. Happy Momma.

 Why do I still look SO SLEEPY?!?

 Night 2 was a far better night than the first - we let Maggie enjoy the peace and quiet of the hospital nursery in between feedings. Everyone slept better. 

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And the next morning - Wednesday, June 3rd, we were discharged and sent home! 

Bee came with her special outfit (which sort of looked like a mixture of Owen's and Rebecca's - just like Maggie).

Special tradition.

She looks so tiny!

 And I look puffy and sleepy...but she is SO worth it.

 Even though she was hungry, she slept the whole (7 minute) drive home. What a champ!

 And as if entering the world from the safety, warmth, quiet and general tranquility of the womb wasn't enough...we had to bring Maggie home...to our permanent state of noise, chaos, toys, and craziness. Fun times. 

We were greeted at the door with shrieks and pokes!

 Rebecca is both 1) SO SWEET and 2) SO not able to be left alone with Maggie.

 Dadda and his THREE kiddos!

 "I love holding Baby Sister".

 When I gently reminded Rebecca that touching Maggie's face was a No No, she assumed the drama queen pouting position.

 But she bounces back fast. Look at those toes! (Owen and Rebecca literally could not wait for us to put her in "her baby swing" - they've been fascinated with it for a while and were clearly amped to put it to use!)

 Miss Maggie, handling all the attention with style and grace (and her first scratch on her face - a love mark from all the attention).

 Weary momma. Who is ready for a nap? (I like to believe its a good sign that all FIVE of us took a nap at the same time on Wednesday.) That'll continue, right?

Wait, where are the balloons??? Sweet Aunt Mel (and crew) brought over these welcome home decorations but they had gotten loose and floated up into a tree before we got home.

Welcome home Margaret Laura Mezger! We love you Maggie!!!

Just Can't Get Enough

So, I guess you could say we just can't get enough of these little guys...so, we're going to head to the hospital SOON to get another one. 

Owen: Big Big Brother

Rebecca: Big Sister

Several thoughts/attitudes are shaping how badly we want to bring this little baby girl home...

1) I am uber-uncomfortable. I really try not to complain because I know how undeservedly blessed we are to be able to have sweet healthy children seemingly at the drop of a hat, but let's just say it'll be GREAT to have this sweet baby girl on the outside of my body instead of the inside... Everybody at home is ready for me to be "back to normal" even if that new normal is sleepier and is always wearing an Ergo Baby. (On the down-side, I'll miss my nightly pitty foot-rubs from Kyle...wonder if I can make a deal so that those continue?)

2) We anticipate this year is going to be a tricky one. Tricky, busy, crazy, sleepless. You get the idea. Zone defense for toddlers + needy infant = 2 on 3. So, in my mind, let's get 'er done. Not that we really have any idea what any day has in store for us, but if our predictions are right and having 3 under 4 is a challenge, then we're ready to press on through and come out victorious (if not a little battered too) on the other side!

3) The kids - especially Owen - are super ready to meet her. We recently started talking in terms of DAYS away from meeting "baby sister" and when we do he actually gasps with excitement and his smile is as big as it can be and he says adorable and sweet things like "that will be SOOOO GREEAAT!".  We know Rebecca doesn't really know what's coming, but you see her (all on her own) feeding one of her "didi's" (baby's) and you know she is just going to LOVE having a little baby around. It is going to be so special to see them welcome her into our family together - each in their own way. They are going to be such a great big brother and big sister. 

It's popular to put this verse (James 1:17) on baby announcements...and how appropriate. We know this to be true, even before we meet her...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from  the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

mid-May update

Just a few pictures and stories from May. We have a couple of crazy weeks ahead of us and then, of course, there is BABY GIRL, which could technically come at any time (37 weeks today)...so I figure I should blog while it's still "easy". 

Not sure exactly what was going on here. Kyle took this. Owen is in his swimsuit, but Rebecca clearly just got up from her nap...

 The post-nap daze.

 Thanks to Luke and Mel, we are pool-owners. And yes, they're in their clothes. Well, if you can call a t-shirt and underwear/diaper clothes. Good times.

 Mud glorious mud. In Owen's "Boots the Monkey" boots. Her new favorite.

 Happy days. He just "dove" in the pool.

Owen's praying is giving us a lot of giggles these days. The other night he thanked God for "giving us food to eat and animals to shoot like deer and hogs that give us meet".  And according to a trusted source within our church's kid's program, last week he interjected his thankfulness for "steam trains and diesel trains and tracks for them to go on, and trucks and cars and road and bridges for them to go on" in the middle of a prayer amongst ALL the pre-schoolers. We thought we had been making progress re: interrupting but it looks like there is work yet to be done...

Oh, and one more story - Owen is becoming quite the "expert" on all things construction thanks to the "Bob the Builder - On Site" series (specifically, roads, bridges, train tracks, tree-houses, eco-building and recycling). The other day we were talking about things that God has in heaven - because Owen asked - and he asked if there were roads. When I told him that there are in fact roads in heaven and that - get this! - they're paved with GOLD, he quickly and matter of factly informed me that God wouldn't build roads out of gold (how silly!) because roads are made with concrete and asphalt. It was more than funny and a really good teachable moment about how God created EVERYTHING and so he can pretty much do what he wants as far as building materials!

Rebecca's words are coming along. Seems like she's trying to copy us a lot more, which usually just means she repeats a word in a way that gets the intonation right, not necessarily the sounds. But it's so fun to be at this stage with her. And Owen is loving trying to get her to say stuff. She's getting pretty good about recognizing the color blue too.

Favorite new Rebecca-ism. She consistently eats oreos the same way - breaks them apart and licks off/bites off the white middle part. Neither Kyle, Owen nor I eat oreos this way. (Yes, I'm a little embarrassed to admit how commonplace oreos have become in our house during my pregnancy.) This is totally her thing. I love that!

Okay, I'd love to say that in our next post we'll be introducing BABY SISTER, but that's just wishful thinking...3 weeks and counting...

Hide and Seek

Owen, where are you?

 Surprise!